HOW SMALL FARMS COMPETE

Farm Management,

THE CURRENT SITUATION ON FARMLAND VALUES AND OWNERSHIP

Farmland Values, Farmland Ownership, Speculative Bubble, Land Purchases, Land Economics/Use, Q15,

ADJUSTMENTS IN BUSINESS AND PRACTICES: HOW FARMERS CAN IMPROVE THE BOTTOM LINES IN TODAY'S FARM ECONOMY

Farm Management,

ADJUSTABLE -TERM FINANCING OF FARM LOANS

Firm-level simulation is used to analyze farm financial performance with adjustable-rate, adjustable-term, and fixed-rate financing. Adjustable-term financing is accomplished by changing the term of the loan, instead of payment size, when interest rates change. Simulation results indicate that the adjustable-term loan is an innovation which reduces the cash flow destabilizing effects of volatile interest rates.Agricultural Finance,

Genetically modified (GMO) soybeans

Genetic modification of crops has taken the national and international spotlight in recent months. Crops classified as genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have become increasingly available to Iowa farmers over the past few years. Although GMO crops have gained in popularity, the extent of their impact on costs and returns to Iowa farmers are not fully understood. There have only been a few comparisons of GMO versus non-GMO crops. This article discusses the impact of GMO soybeans versus non-GMO soybeans with cross-sectional data for 1998

Overview of System Options: Economics and Production

A lot of what I wanted to say has been covered. I want to reemphasize that as I prepared for this and thought about what I wanted to say, I decided I did not want to go through a lot of numbers. Just as there are differences between Sweden and the United States, there are differences between producers. We need to think about that and look at what we are trying to do. I want to emphasize that I really agree with the last point that was made with the quote from Frances Bacon (see p. 34). Too often today we\u27re looking at whether technology today is good or bad, a friend or a foe, and that\u27s not really the issue. The issue is whether or not a given technology is appropriate-what\u27s appropriate for our system, what\u27s appropriate for our resources, what\u27s appropriate for what we\u27re trying to do on our farm, in the state of Iowa, and in the country as a whole

Organic vs. Conventional Farming Systems

Driven by a consumer demand-driven market, interest in organic crop production continues to grow. A study was begun in 1977 to compare organic and conventional farming systems and was modified in 1999. Results from this study have previously been reported in the 1998 Annual Report (ISRF98-13) and the 2005 Annual Report (ISRF05-13)

Labor Requirements for Market Swine Produced in Hoop Structures

This article reports on a study examining the amount of labor used in hoop structures for finishing market hogs. The labor estimates were obtained from farmers who finish hogs in such facilities. The results show that labor use is not substantially different from confinement facilities. Areas for consideration also are identified in this article

Iowa’s Changing Swine Industry

Iowa has led the U.S. in swine production and pig inventory since the 1880s. Pig production has been a reliable value-added enterprise on many Iowa farms for generations. In spite of this 120-year national leadership, Iowa’s swine industry has been changing profoundly within the state